Six overs of Miyan Mayhem - Mohammed Siraj fires ominous warning shot ahead of 2023 World Cup
It’s the Asia Cup final. India, as expected, have made it. Sri Lanka, defying odds, have also made it. The R Premadasa Stadium is packed to the rafters and, for the first time in recent memory, it seems Indian fans have been outnumbered. It is a carnival atmosphere, and as the Sri Lankan openers walk out to bat, the noise is deafening.
Pathum Nissanka, like he always does, takes the first ball. This, by the way, is after a 40-minute delay, meaning that the nerves have had enough time to jangle, and everyone clad in Sri Lankan blue has had a chance to visualise just what they are up against.
One of those factors is Jasprit Bumrah - purring throughout the tournament and now hoping to leave his mark on the final. The third ball he bowls produces a wicket, swinging away just enough to entice Kusal Perera into a loose waft. The rest of the over goes by without any mishaps but it becomes clear that India, especially with some cloud cover around, are already smelling blood.
As soon as Bumrah finishes his over, you could sense the thousands supporting Sri Lanka in the stands breathe a sigh of relief, even it is for a brief moment. Mohammed Siraj, expected to take the new ball from the other end, is no mug. In fact, he has been India’s best ODI bowler over the past year and a bit.
But the aura of Bumrah is unmatched, at least when it comes to public perception, and the end of the opening over induces some sort of security. A false sense of security.
Mohammed Siraj picks up a sizzling six-wicket haul
The first over Siraj bowls is right on the money. The ball shapes away beautifully and beats the outside edge multiple times. He seems to have it on a string and he is, quite literally, making the ball talk. Some are nipping back in, some are decking away – all while he controls his length and makes sure the Sri Lankan batters are playing at it.
The opening two overs drive one particular point home – that Sri Lanka have their tasks cut out. What they do not do, though, is prepare them for what lies ahead. And while that might sound silly, considering both Bumrah and Siraj’s pedigree is unquestionable, it also illustrates just how special a bowler Siraj has become, and why this particular spell will forever be etched in Indian cricketing folklore.
The Royal Challengers Bangalore pacer’s second over begins with a wicket – a ball full enough that it tempts Nissanka to throw his hands at it. The ball just stops in the track, though, and he ends up slicing it. Ravindra Jadeja flies low to his right and completes a remarkable catch.
The first ball Sadeera Samarawickrama faces is on a length outside off and shapes away. He leaves it without much fuss. Seeing how composed Samarawickrama is, Siraj now knows he is there for the taking.
He bowls it a lot closer to the batter and off stump. Bowls it with a wobble seam too and the ball jags back sharply, catching Samarawickrama on the crease and trapping him lbw.
Three balls bowled in the over. Two completely different styles of batters. And two entirely different ways of getting them out. At no point did it seem in doubt. Such was Siraj’s brilliance. Such was his skill.
This is not all, though. Off the fourth ball of the over, he also accounts for Charith Asalanka, Sri Lanka’s hero from a few days ago. This one, like the Nissanka dismissal, is bowled full enough to entice the drive but not full enough to actually be driving at it.
Siraj, at this point, is now on a hat-trick. He is up against Dhananjaya de Silva, so often Sri Lanka’s crisis man. He goes looking for the stumps and errs onto the pads a touch. The Sri Lankan all-rounder eases it through mid on and because everyone is in the cordon waiting for an outside edge, Siraj has to hurtle after it.
He does not quite pull it back in, but this passage - not just the wickets but also of him wholeheartedly putting in a chase when he could have easily waved his arms in the air - illustrates what he is all about, and how he keeps performing in a variety of different conditions.
The cricketing gods, having seen Siraj put in that much effort, reward him with a wicket next ball. Another beautiful out-swinger on a length outside off and de Silva can only nick it through to the keeper.
Siraj’s best, however, is reserved for the opposition captain. The pacer has Dasun Shanaka on toast throughout the over. The first ball whizzes past the outside edge, as does the second and the third ball. Then, realising that Shanaka is perhaps expecting an incoming delivery, Siraj goes wide of the crease. Keeps the length and the line similar but the angle makes Shanaka think he can flick it through mid wicket.
Only issue is the ball straightens a shade at the very last moment. Shanaka is opened up, and has his off stump flattened.
Kusal Mendis, who perhaps offered the most resistance, is the last to fall prey to Siraj. Having pushed and prodded, and having seen numerous partners depart the scene, Mendis feels the urge to drive expansively. Mistake. Fatal mistake.
The RCB fast-bowler pitches it perfectly on a length on off stump and gets it to come back in, exposing the vast gap between the bat and the pad. Crashes into middle and off stump and Sri Lanka, within an hour of beginning their batting, are now seven down.
A collapse that Bumrah started. But a capitulation masterminded well and truly by Siraj, who on days like this, looks just as good as Bumrah (or maybe even better).
And that is the biggest compliment anyone can give to an Indian bowler currently. That is how far he has come. Far away from the bowler who was the source of countless social media memes at the start of his white-ball career.
The best thing about it all, though, is that this is not an aberration. This is no ‘once in a blue moon’ display. This is what you get with Siraj these days – relentless intensity, oodles of skill and bags of guile.
In many ways then, this Asia Cup final display is a prelude of what lies ahead for batters at the World Cup. Based on this evidence, not sure many will be fancying facing Siraj.